Engine-starting apparatus



April 8, 1930., w. H. TEETER 1,753,584

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed Sept 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Apl il 8, 1930. w. H. TEETER 1,753,584

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 12111.1 44a. a -Ts i 1 o l Ill] lllllllllHll HIHIHHIII lllllllllll 63 I gwuentoz April 1930. w. H. TEE TER 1,753,584

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

gnaw V60 April 8, 1930. w. H. TEETER 1,753,584

V ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS I Filed Sept. 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES WILFORD H. TEETER, or DAYTON, OHIO,

DELCO PRODUCTS CORPORATION, WARE ASSIGNO'R, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

or DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELA- ENGINE-STARTING APPARATUS Application filed September 22, 1928. Serial No. 307,745. V

This invention relates to apparatus for starting an internal combustion engine and particularly to the type of apparatus which comprises an electric motor which operates a rotatable driving member, such as a pinion, which is moved by manual operation into operative connection with a part of the engine to be started, such as the engine fiywheel gear.

Qne of the objects of the invention is to place the driving member substantially in complete driving connection with the engine part before operating the starting motor. Accordingly, the present invention provides manually operable means for moving the driving member or pinion along a rotatable operating device, such as a shaft, with which the driving member or pinion is operatively connected and for rotating the driving mem ber or pinion while it is pressed against the engine part or flywheel gear in case obstruction is encountered before the driving memher and engine part are operatively connected. The driving member is normally spaced from the engine part, and, while the manual means is moving the driving member toward the engine part, there is relatively little tendency to rotate the driving member. If obstruction such as gear tooth abutmentis en countered before the driving member and engine part are operative'ly connected, continuing the manual effort to engage the driving member with the engine party will materially increase the tendency of the manually operable meansto rotate the driving member while it is pressed against the engine part.

This increase in tendency to rotate the driving member is proportional to theforce applied to the manually operable means for connecting the driving member and. engine part.

The disclosed embodiments of the present invention comprise a rotatable driving member, such as a pinion, movable into engagement with a rotatable partconnected with the engine to be started, and manually'operable means for moving the driving member axially and for turning itwhen necessary to effect its engagement with the engine part. The manually operable means includes apart 5-5 of Fig. 1.

movable along the axis of the driving member and adapted to apply a force to the driving member which. is oblique and eccentric to the axis of the driving member, and includes an actuator having a portion connected with said part and mounted for movement transversely and longitudinally of the axis .of the driving member, and includes a spring which resists the transverse movement of the actuator portionaway from the axis of the driving member wherebythe angle between said parts and the axis of the driving mem ber will increase in resp'onseto continuing the movement of the actuator portion after the driving member meets'with obstruction by the engine part before connecting therewith. I

A further object of the invention is to combine the features which have been described heretofore with an engine starter drive having means for automatically disconnecting the driving member from the engine part when the engine becomes self-operative.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig 1 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in longitudinal section showing engine-starting apparatus embodyingthe present invention.

Figs. 2,3, 4: and 5 are sectional views, taken respectively, on the lines 2-2, 3-3, 44, and

Fig. 6 is a view similar" to Fig. 1 showing the driving memberor pinion abutting the engine partof the flywheel gear. I Fig. 7 is'a View similar to Fig. 6 showing the condition ofthe apparatus when the-pinion has been turned to mesh with the flywheel gear just before meshinghas taken place. Fig. Sis a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the condition of the apparatus while cranking the engine. 1 Fig. 9 is a view similar toFig 6 showing the condition of the apparatus after the en- 1 gine becomes self-operative but before the manually operable starter control means has been released.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of engine starting apparatus embodying a modified form of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10. I

Referring to Figs. 1 to 9, 2O designates the field frame of an electric motorwhich is controlled by a switch contained within a switch housing 21 and operated by a plunger 22 which is held normally in circuit-open-position by a spring 23. The motor operates a shaft 24 having a helically splined portion 25 which is threadedly engaged by driving member or pinion 26 movable axially along the shaft into engagement with 7 an engine part or flywheel gear 27. The shaft 24 is supported by end bearings, one of which is shown at 28 carried by a gear housing 29 connected with the field frame 20. End thrust of the pinion 26 while driving the gear 27 is transmitted to the shaft through a wiresplit ring providing a stop ring 30 received by a groove 31 in the shaft 24; and the end thrust of the shaft is transmitted to the housing 29 through a thrust collar 32 hearing against a finished surface 38 provided by the housing.

The pinion 26 is hindered from accidentally moving into mesh with the gear 27 by reason of the fact that the pinion normally is supported by a splined portion 25 of lesser outside diameter than the splined portion 25 which receives the pinion while it iscranking the engine.- The portions" 25* and 25 are separated by conical, interrupted shoulder portions 25 which provide sufiicient obstruction to hinder movement of the pinion accidentally into contact with the engine gear while the engine is running.

The housing 29 includes a portion which projects through an opening 35 in that part of the engine frame 36 which encloses the fiywheel gear 27. The part of the hous ng 29 which is exterior of the engine frame is provided witha side opening 37 through which certain parts of the starting apparatus may be passed when the apparatus 1s assembled. The opening 37 is closedby a cover 38 which is attached by screws 39 to a plane boss 40 provided by the housing 29, and wh ch supports one end of a stud 42 having its other end 43 supported by the housing 29 as shown in Fig. 2. The stud 42 pivotally supports a fulcrum lever 44 carrying a floating fulcrum pin 44 for an actuator or operating lever 44 having a hub 45 attached to the pin 44 The upper arm of the lever 44 is located so as to actuate the switch plunger 22 and is attached to a pedal rod 46 which passes through a cup member 47 extending through an opening 48 in the floorboard 49 of the automobile. A spring 50 located between the bottom or the cup member 47 and the head 51 of the pedal rod 46 serves normally to maintain the lever 44 in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The shaft 24 supports an engagement-effecting member which slides axially along the shaft in order to move the pinion 26 intoengagement with the gear 27, and which is manually rotatable for thepurpose of rotating the pinion 26 into meshin relation with The lever 44 carries at its lower end an actuator portion or stud 64 which pivotally supports one end ofa link65 whichis pivotally connectedby a stud 66 with the engagementeifecting member 60. The link 65 constitutes that part of the manually operable means which is movable along the axis of the driving member or pinion 26 and along the axis of the engagementeffecting member 60 and which is adapted to apply a force to the driving member or engagement-effecting member in a direction which is-oblique and eccentric to the axis thereof. Normally the link 65 is located relative to the axis of the member 60 as shown in Fig. 1 so thatthe component of the force transmitted by the link 65 to the member 60 and tending to produce rotation of the member 60 is normally relatively small as compared with the component of the force which tends to move the member 60 endwise yieldingly in this position by a spring 67 which is coiled around the stud 42 and has one end 68 adapted to bear against the field frame 20 and the other end 69 adapted to bear against the under-side of the fulcrum supporting lever 44*. The spring 67 is constructed so that the spring end portion 69 tends to urge the lever 44 upwardly. Therefore, when the pedal 51 is pressed to start the engine, the lever 44 and the link 65 transmit motion from the: pedal in such a manner that the tendency to rotate the member 60 isrelatively small in comparison with the tendency to move it axially along the shaft 24. The pressure upon the pedal 51 first causes the link to move-from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 6 in order to cause a finger member 71 provided by the link 65 to engage the disk 63 and to move the pinion 26 into contact with the gear 27 If gear tooth abutment occurs, further movement of the pedal 51 downwardly will cause the lever/44 to move. from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7. During this movement of the lever 44 which is yieldingly resisted by the spring 67, the angularrelation between the axis of the member 60 and the center line joining the axes of the studs 64 and 66 will increase thereby resulting in material increase of the force component transmitted by the link 65 which tends the motor switch is closed.

mounted upon the gear housing 29% 51 will cause the pinion 26 tomove into sub-' stantial engagement with the gear 27 before lhe closing of the motor switch by engagement of the lever 44 with the switch plunger 22 will cause the motor to turn the shaft 25 in the direction of the arrow 7 5 and will move the pinion endwise against the stop ring 30 so that the pinion will be fully meshed with the gear as shown in Fig 8. It will be noted that the clutch teeth 62 are free of the clutch teeth 61 during the engine cranking operation and that the finger 71 provided by the collapsible link is located in advance of the teeth 61. l/Vhen the engine becomes self-operative the pinion 26 will be automatically demeshed from the'engine gear 27 due to the reversal of end thrust produced by the splines upon the pinion when the engine rotates the pinion faster than it can be rotated by the starting motor. As the pinion is whirled rapidly out of mesh with the engine gear the disk 63 will engage the finger 71 to move it forcible from the position shown in Fig; 8 to that shown inFig. 9. When the pedal 51 is released, the spring 50-will be permitted to expand and to restore the mechanism to the condition shown in Fig. 1.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the link 65 is connected with the pedal operated lever 144 by a stud 164 which receives a spring clip 165 secured to a spring 166 having its other end attached to a clip 167 surrounding a rod 168 168 passes through a curved slot 169 in the lever 144, the curved walls defining the slot ing sidewise by a part of the gear housing 29 and by a spacing washer 170 also supported by the rod 168. Like the spring 67 the spring 166 operates to resistmovement of the actuator portion or stud 164 away from the axis of the member 60 and hence tends to resist an increase in the angularity between the link 65 and the axis of the member 60. The mode of operation of this form of the invention is substantially the same as that The rod within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows: r

1. An engine starter drive comprising a rotatable driving member axially movable into engagement with a rotatable part connected with an engi-neto "be started; and manually operable means "for moving-the drivingmember axially and for turning it when necessary to effect its engagement with the engine part, said means including apart movable along the axis of the driving-member and adapted to apply'a force to the driving member oblique and eccentric to its axis, an actuator havinga portion connected with said part and mounted for-movement transversely and longitudinally of the axis of the driving member, and aspring for resisting transverse mo vement of the actuator portion away from the axis of the driving member whereby the angle between said partand axis of the "driving member will increase in response to continuing the movement ofthe actuator portionafter the driving member meets with obstruction b" the engine part before connecting therewith.

- 2. An engine starterdrive comprising arotatable driving member axially movable into engagement with a rotatable part connected with an engine to be started; and manually operable means for moving the driving mem-' ber axially and for turning it when necessary to eifect its engagement with the engine part, said means including an engagement-effect ing member movable axially and rotatively for connecting said driving member with the engine part, a link connected with the engagement-effecting member and adapted to apply a force thereto oblique and eccentric to the axis thereof, and an actuator having a portion connected with said link and mounted for movement transversely and longitudinally of the axis of the engagement-effecting member, and a spring for resisting transverse move ment of the actuator portion away from the axis of the engagement-effecting member whereby the anglebetween the link and said axis will increase in response to continuing the movement of the actuator portion after the driving member meets with obstruction by the engine part before connecting therewith. p

3. An engine starter drive comprising a rotatable driving member axially movable into engagement with a rotatable part connected with an engine to be started; and

manually operable means for moving the driving member axially and for turning it when necessary to effect its engagement with the engine part, said means including an engagement-reflecting member movable axially and rotatively and coaxialwith the driving member, axially-engageable, normally-disengaged clutch members provided respectively by the engagement-eifecting member and driving member, a link connected with the engagement-effecting memher and adaptedto apply a force thereto oblique and eccentric to the axis thereof, and an actuator having aportion connected with said link and mounted for movement transversely and longitudinally of the axis of the v engagement-efi'ectlng member, and a spring for resisting transverse movement of the act-uator portlon away from the axis of the engagement-effecting member whereby the angle between the link and the said axis will increase in response to continuing the movement of the actuator portion after the driving member meets with obstruction by the engine part before connecting therewith.

4. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 1 in which the actuator includes a lever having a floating fulcrum permitting bodily movement of the lever transversely to the axis of the driving member.

5. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 3 in which the actuator includes a lever having its fulcrum mounted to move transversely to the axis ofthe engagement-effecting member.

In testimony whereof I hereto alfix my signature.

WILFORD H. V TEETER. 

